Singapore, 1951
When Josephina is a girl, her parents lock her in a room with the father of the boy to whom she’s betrothed. What happens next will determine the lives of generations to come.
New Zealand, 1984
Josephina and her family leave Sri Lanka for New Zealand. But their new home is not what they expected, and for the children, Sithara and Suri, a sudden and shocking event changes everything.
London, 2018
Arriving on her uncle Suri’s doorstep, jetlagged and heartbroken, Annie has no idea what to expect – all she knows is that Suri was cast out of the family before she was born.
Moving between cities and generations, Amma follows three women on very different paths, against a backdrop of shifting cultures. As circumstance and misunderstanding force them apart, it will take the most profound love to knit them back together before it’s too late.
‘Amma explores the consequences of trauma – national, regional, societal, and familial,’ writes reviewer Sanjana Khusal. ‘De Silva’s first novel – emotionally honest, rich with story – feels like an instant classic.’
‘What really elevates the book is de Silva’s ability to put the reader within a specific location. This was crucial in a book that is so geographically unstable; what appears disorienting is typical of many South Asian immigrant experiences. de Silva has a real knack for being able to set a scene by focusing on impressionistic details that add depth to the various locations in the book’, writes Brannavan Gnanalingam at The Spinoff.
